Selig S. Harrison sets out how a military withdrawal from Afghanistan can happen by focusing on money and international intervention. Interesting, but is this how the Taliban and other anti-occupation forces see the situation?

Katherine Gustafson outlines a philosphy known as SEL (social and emotional learning) in action in some American schools. Bibi van der Zee reports on the ‘The Empowering Parents, Empowering Communities course’ , a pilot project in London, which teaches parents how to cope with their children. Both programmes are aimed at people who lead challenging lives, mainly because they are not valued in society. Sticking plaster approaches.

Ed Miliband, writing for Pink News has declared his support for same-sex marriage. This is a very welcome statement all in all and pleases me. Perhaps a Labour administration of the future will feel able to expand on LGBT civil rights without being legally required to do so by court jugements in the EHCR.

Puni Modoli, former president of the United Naga Council (UNC) writes about the current blockade of Manipur and the sense of betrayal felt after a speech which is seemingly against the spirit of the ongoing peace talks: ‘The statement in the Lok Sabha on 19th August ’10, by the Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram that the Govt. of India rules out any move to alter the boundary of the states in the North-East region’.